When Catherine disconnected after having assured Marina that she was fine although stranded without a vehicle, apologizing in advance for missing the noon meal and fielding her friend's pointed inquiries with a vagueness not usual for her, she looked around the cabin as Robert finished up his conversation.

Not a lot was changed. The furniture was the same, the candles they had used for their Thanksgiving supper were still on the table ... and the fire was lit. Catherine frowned. She had forgotten that she had seen the smoke as they had approached the cabin. Who had lit the fire? Was someone else here? She walked over closer to the fireplace and held her hands out to the flames. The fire was well-established, and had been burning for quite a while. She added another log from the pile hidden in the cupboard on the right, then stood watching for moment making sure it was going to catch.

Then Robert's hands were sliding around her waist and he was drawing her close as he bent and nuzzled her neck again. Catherine's heartbeat sped up once more as she felt the touch of his tongue on the sensitive skin behind her ear. "R-Robert ... we ... we shouldn't ..." she stammered, but she leaned back against him nonetheless.

His hands slipped under her turtleneck and spread over her midriff, hot and slightly rough on her bare skin. "Why not?" he asked huskily, nibbling kisses along her jawline which she obligingly turned up for him. "You're a woman and I'm a man. Both of us are free, willing and over twenty-one ..."

A whisper of a chuckle escaped her as his fingers lightly caressed her skin in circles, approaching then retreating from the breasts aching for his touch. "We are indeed over twenty-one."

"Whether or not you want to admit it, you want me as badly as I want you, Catherine, and life is too short not to take risks." His fingers grazed the curve of her breasts which suddenly felt fuller and heavier than before.

Catherine's breath left her in a whoosh as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. She moaned faintly and he murmured, "Is that a protest? Do you want me to stop?"

Without hesitation, Catherine's hands closed over his and held them fast to her. She twisted her head to look at him. "Don't you dare!" He could see the hunger in her eyes, the longing for him as much as he was experiencing a longing for her. For a moment he thought he saw tears in her eyes, but then she gave him a hesitant smile. "I need this," she whispered. "We BOTH need this. But ... I'm scared ..."

"Hell, do you think I'm NOT?" he asked, his mouth pressing kisses to her cheek, back to her ear, then along her jawline to her chin. "You're right, we both need this. Damn, it has been so long for us!" His hands swept over her body purposefully.

Catherine's desire grew and another moan escaped her throat. Instantly he spun her in his arms and began kissing her deeply again, his hands molding her body to his. In between kisses, he murmured over and over, "Catherine, my Catherine ... I've dreamt of holding you like this ... I've dreamt of your kisses ... Catherine, I love you ... God forgive me, but I love you so much!"

"Robert! Oh, God, Robert, I love you, too!" Catherine gasped against his lips. She twisted frantically in his hands, trying to ease the burning desire his touch brought to light in the body she had thought long past such ecstasy. "PLEASE, Robert ...!" Her breath came in faint sobs as she thrilled to his touch.

"Damn, you taste good!" His mouth on hers had been warm, suddenly it was hot, demanding.

"Tell me this is real! Tell me I'm not dreaming!" Catherine gasped, liquid fire surging through her, winding into a centre where hunger leapt out again like sparks of the liquid blaze. Her hands had wormed their way beneath his shirt and spread over his back, her nails digging in as she arched closer still.

Taking the time to savour the experience, Robert didn't seem to be in any hurry to move on. He concentrated on kissing her, his mouth fusing on hers, probing, then lifting only long enough to allow him to explore a new angle. Catherine was rapidly losing patience. She was trembling from anticipation as well as nerves and she nestled more snugly against him, soaking up his delicious heat and letting it fuel her own. No thinking today, she reminded herself, no analyzing or second guessing. This had been building from the moment in this cabin at Thanksgiving when Robert had introduced himself and said that if they were going to be sleeping together, they should know each other's name. Neither had imagined that they would be so attracted to one another despite the somewhat rocky beginning of their relationship not to mention the odds against them. It was as if they had been waiting all their lives for this to happen.

But still, it shouldn't BE happening! Catherine could no more turn off her thoughts than she could stop her response to Robert. She wasn't a reckless teenager, governed by mindless impulse and raging hormones! As far as that went, she had never HAD raging hormones ... until she had met Robert! She had never behaved this way as a teenager, nor had ever felt this with Tom, so why was she surrendering to these emotions now as a mature adult? She was a doctor, a woman her colleagues claimed was wrapped in steely control. Where was that steely control now, when she really needed it?

She tried to draw away, to apologize to Robert for making him think this was more than simply gratifying a physical urge, because of course it could not be anything else. "Robert, I didn't mean ..." Catherine whispered when he loosened his hold just a bit and stared at her.

"Yes. Yes, dammit, you did mean it. And so did I! Catherine, I know it has only been a month since MaryBeth died, but having you here, in my arms ..." Robert's voice trailed away, and he looked as though he didn't plan to finish speaking his thoughts out loud.

"Yes?" Catherine waited breathlessly.

"Oh, the hell with it," he growled in his frustration and lowered his mouth to hers again.

Even as she gave herself up to his passionate kiss, Catherine acknowledged that she shared his frustration. She wanted to make love with him, wanted to have him touch her and take what was already his ... and she knew it was going to happen sometime. There was no point in pretending it wouldn't. Their bodies were sending waves of heat shooting in all directions, and their hands were roaming, as if to reassure themselves that the other was actually there and they WERE actually touching. There was a breathlessness to just being with the other like this. Alone. Anticipating more. And then everything was consumed in a surge of frantic, almost agonized need, a storm of sensation so powerful that Catherine let herself be carried off in the mindless clamour of her responses to Robert's tormenting lovemaking, her heart pounding in her ears.

Robert groaned and drew back ... and through her daze, Catherine realized that the pounding she was hearing was NOT her heart.

"Robert? Dr. Howard? Hey, you've got company! Open up!" The loud knocking on the door resumed, along with the shouts.

Gulping in needed air, Catherine managed to straighten her clothing and run shaking hands through her tousled hair. Robert swore under his breath as he struggled to get himself under control. Then he stomped over to the door, thanking God he had locked it, but wishing he had not revealed where he and Catherine were. If Jeff, Jaclyn and Michael had arrived even one second later, it would have been impossible to stop making love to Catherine. As it was, he was more uncomfortable than he had felt in years! And yet ... this was his family. He should be happy to see them. And he would be, as soon as he could tamp down the desire for Catherine which was still raging through his body.

As for Catherine, she pressed her hands together in an effort to stop her violent trembling, wishing she could suppress her emotions as easily and drawing in large gulps of air.

"Grandpa!" Suddenly Michael and Jaclyn were in the room, having come in the back door while Jeff had been knocking relentlessly on the front. Michael flung himself on his grandfather who just managed to unlock the door before being engulfed in a hug. "You weren't hurt when the truck went in the ditch?"

"Dad? Why'd you lock the ... Dr. Howard!" Jaclyn stared at Catherine incredulously, then back at her father.

Catherine flushed deeply, knowing Jaclyn couldn't help but see that she had been well and truly kissed. She had no idea what to say. Her eyes met Robert's across the room.

"What?" he asked aggressively. He almost glared at Jaclyn, then Jeff. "What's the matter? I SAID I was all right!"

"You didn't say you were still with ..." Jaclyn broke off, biting her lip and looking down.

"Lori told us to come out and spend the afternoon with you here at the cabin, then to go back to the hospital this evening to visit," Jeff explained awkwardly, his eyes skimming over Catherine's face and his father-in-law's before looking away. "I, uh ... didn't think you'd be ... uh ... But you can look right in the door, so ... umm, I sent Jaclyn and Michael around the back way, and, well, sorry ..."

Then Michael was standing in front of Catherine, looking at her curiously. "Why is your face so red?"

Catherine's hands flew to her cheeks. "Is it?" she asked breathlessly, forcing a light laugh. "I suppose it's from the fire."

"The fire's not very hot!" Michael said scornfully. "It's almost out! Grandpa, can I put more wood on it and pretend we're living in the old days?"

"Sure, buddy," Robert said.

Jeff seemed to have recovered from the shock of finding Robert and Catherine in a somewhat compromising situation. "So," he chuckled, clapping Robert on the shoulder and earning a rather sour look from the older man, "you managed to put the Suburban in the ditch in almost the same place the car ended up at Thanksgiving! Were you driving both times?"

"I had nothing to do with it this time," Catherine spoke up swiftly.

Jaclyn was still trying to study Catherine and her father surreptitiously, but with little success. She openly stared at them both then finally burst out, "Dad, what exactly is going on here?"

There was a pause. Robert scowled and Catherine swallowed hard.

"Aunt Jaclyn, you KNOW it's Christmas!" Michael chuckled, having thrown another log on the fire haphazardly. "We're here at Grandpa's house to play and finish cooking the turkey you brought so we can have a good supper!" The little boy grinned up at her, oblivious to all the undercurrents in the room. "Are you going to stay, uh ...?" he turned to Catherine, clearly having forgotten her name.

"DR. Howard," Jaclyn supplied, her eyes still on her father somewhat accusingly as she emphasized Catherine's title.

"Why did you call her the Hershey lady this morning if she's a doctor?" Michael asked, puzzled.

"I give out Hershey bars for Hallowe'en," Catherine said softly. "And Jaclyn, it's not what you think ..."

"It's not?" Jaclyn's narrowed gaze swung to Catherine, over-riding Michael's cry of 'cool!' "What IS it, then?"

"It's none of your business, that's what it is, young lady!" growled Robert.

"Well," Jeff said, forcing a cheery note into his voice. "Shall we get the turkey in the oven, then go see if we can pull your Suburban out of the ditch?"

O o O o O o To Be Continued